EOTRH

[highoctane]

:shock: Oh My - he certainly does not look or move his age!! He does look fabulous for his age and certainly can move! Do what ever keeps him happy IMO.

My crazy pony age 16 broke loose on the crossties yesterday (halter broke). I had removed a tick from his chest and applied ointment. It must of stung because he shot backwards and then fought until he broke himself free. It happened so fast and he would not listen to me to calm down.

His health and well-being are priority #1.

I feel your pain...Hi-Oc broke so many cross ties and/or cross tie anchors that I gave up and just weave his lead rope through the stall bars. He's fine with that.

[highoctane]

So he's been going out on turnout lately, no issues. Seems to be acting normal, which is great. I put him on a calming supplement until I can up his Quiessence (SmartPaks won't get here until 3/17), and that seems to be helping...the last thing I want is for him to burn off any pounds we're trying to add back on. Plus, I'm of the belief that a calm body is a healing body.

Today's exam - 12 days post op - revealed that the stitches holding the top flap have let go; this was to be expected. I'm sending off the pic to my vet tomorrow, just as an assurance that it looks normal. IMHO, his gums have a healthy, pink color, but the area underneath reminds me of proud flesh. I can't get a good look at his lower jaw, let alone get a pic. Thoughts?



Mouth is still stinky - also expected. Not really bad though. He allows more handling of his face now, but still a bit guarded.

[highoctane]

And his new "look".

[Josette]

I agree with you that his gums look healthy pink color - no inflammation or areas with issues. I think it good to update your vet for his input. I'm sorry I had deleted all my post-op pictures of my guy (I did after I lost him). The extended tongue out is common after this procedure but over time he may lessen it so only the tip will show. You sound like you are managing his stress/energy levels very well as he adjusts to his altered eating routine. Love the flipped bell boots.

[highoctane]

I agree with you that his gums look healthy pink color - no inflammation or areas with issues. I think it good to update your vet for his input. I'm sorry I had deleted all my post-op pictures of my guy (I did after I lost him). The extended tongue out is common after this procedure but over time he may lessen it so only the tip will show. You sound like you are managing his stress/energy levels very well as he adjusts to his altered eating routine. Love the flipped bell boots.

He's actually not sticking it out nearly as much as we all thought, though it has been rather cold around here lately. His tongue is HUGE, and his palette is really low (hence why I ride him bit less), so I fully expected to see it rather more contantly. Maybe he's not comfortable enough? I'm wondering if he'd be comfortable in a bit again? <I don't own any bits anymore lol>

The flipped bells are so he won't grind sores into the front of his fetlocks when he lays down. Work like a charm...and since these are KL Select pull-ons, there's no Velcro tabs to wear out!

[highoctane]

So here we are, 2 days shy of 4 weeks post op. He's looking great-back up to 1200#. And as I feared , he's regressed to a 4 year old. Complete with splay-legged "spooks", sideways jigging with head tossing (think TBs in the paddock before a race), snorting and blowing - the works. It's annoying, but you can't take him seriously with his tongue hanging out lol.

Anyway - this video from today shows how well he's adapted. If I didn't tell you he didn't have incisors, you would never know. It's quite amazing. He's also quite amiable to having his mouth looked at now. Pardon the mud - he's shedding and itchy, and can't scratch with his teeth, so he rolls even more.
https://youtu.be/2r2hwdC_95s

[highoctane]

And the pics. Don't his gums look fantastically healthy??!?






I mean, they're not perfect, and not 100% healed yet, but it's pretty obvious that he feels MUCH better!

[Chisamba]

so much healthier!!

[kande50]

The flipped bells are so he won't grind sores into the front of his fetlocks when he lays down. Work like a charm...and since these are KL Select pull-ons, there's no Velcro tabs to wear out!

I have a horse who does that. Fortunately, he mostly lays down in his stall so I keep that bedded much deeper than I would otherwise, and that seems to almost completely prevent the rubbing. The flipped bell boots are a great idea though, and then I wouldn't have to use so much bedding in his stall.

[highoctane]

The flipped bells are so he won't grind sores into the front of his fetlocks when he lays down. Work like a charm...and since these are KL Select pull-ons, there's no Velcro tabs to wear out!

I have a horse who does that. Fortunately, he mostly lays down in his stall so I keep that bedded much deeper than I would otherwise, and that seems to almost completely prevent the rubbing. The flipped bell boots are a great idea though, and then I wouldn't have to use so much bedding in his stall.

Yup - they work great! And when I'm "working" him (I use the term lightly lol), I just turn them inside out so they cover his shoes.

[Josette]

I just saw your update and your guy looks FABULOUS!! He certainly has no issues eating grass which will keep him very happy. I think you will really notice a difference now that he is no longer in any discomfort. I know it was so much stress but now you both made it!

[highoctane]

I just saw your update and your guy looks FABULOUS!! He certainly has no issues eating grass which will keep him very happy. I think you will really notice a difference now that he is no longer in any discomfort. I know it was so much stress but now you both made it!

He has his "official" 4-week follow-up this Friday...hopefully he behaves better than his 3 day follow-up lol. He's become a bit of a handful lately...I had to revisit some manners training aka in-hand work Sunday just to keep his attention.

Which brings to mind another question: I've been riding him bitless for so long, I don't even own any bits any more. Considering how, um, good he feels now, I've considered bringing a bit back into the equation for a bit (pardon the pun) more control. I'm not sure how he'll be. I guess there's only one way to find out lol. Anyone have a 5-1/2" double-jointed boucher or snaffle I can borrow??

[highoctane]

4 week post op update: Hi-Oc has been feeling REALLY good, and putting weight on like mad, so I'm now cutting his "grain" (Haystack Special Blend) in half. Per the BO, he's ignoring the hay put in his pasture now, preferring to just graze- so no more extra hay either. He's MUCH better about inspecting his mouth - I can pick up his lip and even poke around a bit without any reaction. This is a HUGE improvement from 3 months ago.

Dr Hanson came out today to do a progress check. He removed the last sutures - which will allow full and complete healing now. All looks good, so we just need to keep an eye on his weight and have regular floats of his molars.

Here's Lori, Dr Hanson's wife and vet tech, photobombing :




Can't see any ribs now!


He bounced out of the barn and ran around his paddock. It's so good to see him feeling so well!

[Tuffytown]

Lori is Dr Hansons wife????????

14 years and I never knew that.

Sort of like you and bovine incisors.

[Canyon]

I'm glad Hi-Oc is doing so well!

I appreciate all the info in this thread.

[highoctane]

Just a little update on my guy: He's still feeling great, holding his weight at about 1200lbs. In fact, we're going to start weaning him off beet pulp with the hopes that he can just eat the Haystack with his supplements. It'll be a yoyo for a while, I'm sure, but I think we can handle it .

I started riding him lightly again! He was still blowing through the Dr Cook's bitless, so a friend at the barn lent me her double jointed eggbutt with a noseband-less "Western" bridle (really just an English without the noseband). I figured he'd let me know if he objected to the bit, as previously he'd thrown his head about and went inverted at the slightest rein pressure. After a few minutes of "GAAAAAHHHHH there's something in my MOOOUUUUTH!!!" aka gaping his mouth wide open, he stopped and started chewing a bit, dropping his head. His eye and face, btw, look SO much more relaxed and happy - I think he even looks younger (he's certainly acting like it)! My only issue is he is really REALLY rounding/bowing his neck - not BTV, and he's not opening his mouth...but he's very light in the contact, yet doesn't object to any. I'm at a loss as to how to ride THIS horse lol. He's also UP at the shoulders until he gets tired. It's quite different from how he was before. I'm not sure if it was the noseband on the Dr Cook's all along, or what - but I don't think I'll ever put a noseband back on him.

Here's a pic of the happy relaxed dude:

[texsuze]

Such great and important feedback. You found the key to changing your guy's life! I hope your story gets to plenty of others!

[highoctane]

Such great and important feedback. You found the key to changing your guy's life! I hope your story gets to plenty of others!

I hope so as well! I don't know what I would have done before the internet...just researching this disease/syndrome alone is actually very comforting to me. Knowing that TONS of horses have gone through surgery and come out with flying colors is fantastic news. Now to just find the cause of EOTRH!

[highoctane]

I refuse to pay Photobucket's exorbitant fees to host pictures...so my apologies, but I will have to repost pix when I'm able to find a solution. Grrrr.